Cervical Disc Replacement

Cervical disc replacement is employed to treat cervical disc herniation that has not responded to noninvasive therapies and is compromising function and mobility. The procedure involves surgically implanting an artificial disc between two vertebrae in the neck after a cervical disc has been removed to decompress either a nerve or the spinal cord. The disc helps to preserve motion at that disc space and is used as an alternative to plates, screws and bone grafts. Cervical disc replacement can pose risks, although rare, for infection, bleeding and chronic neck pain.